Handmade Invasion to take over South Mississippi!

I'm pleased and very excited to announce a new arts & crafts event I'm currently organizing, to take take place during the holidays at my mom's flea market in Pass Christian, MS. The goal of this event is to give crafters of all backgrounds an affordable new venue in which to show and sell their work. I want to see grandmothers selling afghans next to their grandkids who used the same crochet techniques to create skull & crossbone iPod cozies! Most craft fairs in this area seem to be either all traditional, juried crafts or only cater to the younger crowd. I want to create a place where all generations can shop and sell together.

This event, called Handmade Invasion, will take place during the first weekend of November and every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas and coincide with weekly flea market offerings. Customers will have the chance to meet the artists behind the goods, which range from handcrafted furniture and home décor to jewelry and clothing to bath & body goods, as well as gifts for children and pets. My mom's business, The Flea Market & RV Park at Menge, has been there for over 10 years now, and it's located right on the interstate, so there is plenty of regular weekend traffic and a built-in customer base, plus I'm trying hard to get the word out far and wide about this event!

I'm trying to keep things very affordable, so that both new and experienced artists of all backgrounds can participate. Artists and crafters interested in being part of Handmade Invasion must submit an application, but once accepted they may set up in the specially designated “handmade only zone” for the same cost as any other flea market vendor. My hope is that this event will draw both artists and shoppers from other regions to the Mississippi Coast and provide a new opportunity for tourism and economic recovery in the area. If the scheduled holiday event dates go well, I'm planning to turn Handmade Invasion into a recurring event throughout 2008.

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What: Handmade Invasion – holiday arts & crafts market

Where: The Flea Market & RV Park at Menge
(8095 Menge Avenue, Pass Christian, MS 39571 – 228-452-0590)

When: Saturdays & Sundays, 8am – 5pm, on the following dates:
November 3-4, 2007
November 24-25, 2007
December 1-2, 2007December 8-9, 2007
December 15-16, 2007
December 22-23, 2007

Artists interested in participating can find more information and an application at:
http://www.handmadeinvasion.com/apply/
http://www.handmadeinvasion.com/faq/
For more information, please visit our websites at:
http://www.handmadeinvasion.com
http://www.fleamarketatmenge.com